Under My Skin
by alwaysvalerie
Summary: After a plane crash leaves the doctors at Seattle Grace Mercy West shocked, the lives of many are in danger. Mark and Lexie quickly decide that life is too short to wait around. However, they both are facing some long term health damage due to the crash. This puts their relationship to the test. The road to recovery is long and tedious. Will they make it?


"Cristina," Mark breathed, his voice low and laced with desperation. "Cristina will be back any minute." Lexie's heart began to ache, hating the fact that the love of her life before her was watching her die, unable to do anything about it. "Mark..." Lexie began solemnly, her voice smooth and calm, almost as if she were back at Seattle Grace Mercy West, about to deliver bad news to a patient. "She's gonna be back," Mark interrupted, refusing to believe the obvious, "and we're going to get you stabilized, and you're gonna be fine, okay?" he said encouragingly, his tone optimistic. "Mark-" Lexie began, only to be cut off by Mark once again. "Just a few more minutes, okay? She'll be back any minute," he told her, feeling the fear of losing her rapidly increasing in his chest. He was suffocating just by watching her. God, I wish that was me instead of you, he thought to himself. He'd lived, he had a career. Little Grey had not. She was barely beginning, barely starting out.

Mark looked away, his eyes searching the trees for any signs of help. He searched his brain for innovative ways to save Lexie, knowing in the back of his mind that this wasn't the end - it couldn't be. "Mark, I'm-I'm dying," she forced out, trying hard to regain a regular breathing pattern. It was becoming a task too difficult, too tedious. Breathing was getting harder by the second, and, even if Mark chose to ignore it, she would not.

Instantly, at the sound of her voice, Mark's eyes shot back to her. Disbelief. She couldn't be giving up that easy. Her injuries weren't that bad, were they? "What? No you're not," he shook his head slowly. Mark was a doctor, one of the best in the country, yet he would not allow himself to give in to the facts. This was science, and science was saying Lexie was most likely going to die at any minute now... but Science was sometimes wrong.

"I am," she gasped, trying her hardest not to cry. Her body couldn't take anymore. She had to be strong for the two of them. "Please, tell-tell Meredith that I love her," Lexie said, her voice weaker this time. She was slowly starting to give in. "And that she was a good sister," Lexie added in, looking away from Mark's face. She could feel the sobs working their way up, though she was unable to project them. It was too painful; the look on Mark's face was enough to deal with. "Please, tell my dad..." "You're not dying," Mark challenged, his voice flat and firm. He would keep her here. She had to stay. She was Little Grey, and he was Mark Sloan. They had to stay together - always. Despite the fact that Mark had been with Julia, a large portion of him always knew that, in the end, he'd return to Lexie. Always. The way it was supposed to be. He would keep her alive. "You're gonna be fine," Mark told her, every ounce of desperation suddenly evident in his voice.

"Hold my hand," Lexie begged, feeling the pressure on her abdomen worsen. It took a lot, but after mustering every ounce of strength she had left in her, she managed to extend her shaky hand towards him slightly. Mark looked down at her hand quickly, refusing to grab it. Grabbing it meant that he was giving in to the idea that she was dying, that he was giving up, and he refused. "I'm not holding your hand because you're not dying," he stated firmly, inching away from her slightly. "Hold my hand," Lexie begged in a hoarse whisper, keeping her hand extended towards him. "No! You're not dying. Do you hear me? You don't die today." Standing up, Mark felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins. What the hell could he do to fix this? Anything, anything. The woman he loved was close to death, and he had to do something, anything to stop it. Grabbing firmly onto the edge of the metal on top of her, he began to pull upwards. He was now turning to drastic measures - a part of Mark Sloan knew he would never be able to lift it, but that was the last thing on his mind. Lexie watched him, hearing his desperate cry for help - a cry of frustration... a cry ending in defeat. The only thing the brunette could do was wait, though it was very obvious she would die. She could feel her body weaken, she could feel the pain becoming less, and all she wanted, in her last moments, was to be near Mark.

Mark Sloan leaned over the plane, staring down at the cold metal beneath his hands. It was time. Time to talk to Lexie, time to comfort her, and time to hold her hand. Reluctantly, he crawled back down to her level, laying flat on his stomach. Grabbing her dainty little hands in his, he looked her straight in the eyes like he'd done hundreds of times, though this time it was much different.  
Lexie smiled at Mark, thankful that she would go peacefully, spending her last minutes with her one and only true love. "I love you," Mark whispered, squeezing her hands tightly in his, hoping to serve as some sort of lifeline. Lexie's smile widened. How long had she waited to hear those three words from him? Her heart fluttered, just as it had several years ago when they first said it, just as it did every time he did say it. "You don't have to say it, just because-"

"I do, I love you. I've always been in love with you; I will always be in love with you," Mark said, somehow, for the first time in his life being able to form the right words. "Yeah?" Lexie asked hopefully, feeling the tears well in her eyes. "Yeah," Mark confirmed, "which is why you have to stay alive. We- we- we're gonna get married," he told her, hopelessly clinging onto her hands. She'd had her eyes closed momentarily, feeling hear heart slow down. However, she allowed her eyes to flutter open at the sound of marriage. She could do nothing but lay there, hoping that some part of her would believe that she would be okay... that she'd live to see these things happen. However, Lexie was a doctor - a bright, successful one. She'd seen death many times. Only this time, it was different. She was experiencing it firsthand. "And you're gonna become an amazing surgeon," Mark told her, "and we're gonna have two or three kids..." Mark trailed off, locking every single part of this moment away in his mind.

"So- Sofia can- have- siblings," Lexie breathed, the simple thought of starting a family with Mark being enough to put her at ease. And, in that moment, Lexie's mind wandered off to baby Sofia and Zola. Zola, her beautiful niece. The niece who would not remember her. In the same moment, Mark's mind wandered to Sofia. In the future, she'd hear stories about Alexandra Grey, the only woman he ever loved unconditionally. "Yeah," Mark smiled brightly, "a sister and two brothers." Lexie nodded her head, smiling wildly at the love of her life. "That's nice," she gasped, feeling that her time was running out now. "And we're gonna be happy, Lex," he stated, knowing that there was no alternative with the two. They'd made it through the worst, they could make it through absolutely anything that life threw at them.

"You and me, we're gonna have the best life, Lexie, you and me. We're gonna be so happy... so you can't die," Mark whispered, shaking his head. Lexie let out a shaky breath, contemplating whether or not she should fight harder. "You can't die," Mark repeated. Lexie smiled, knowing that this was all she ever wanted. She wanted this. Deep down inside, Lexie always knew he cared, she just didn't know his admission would be as she was dying. "Because we're supposed to end up together," he said solemnly, refusing to lose hope. "We're meant to be," Mark told her, keeping his eyes on hers. Lexie stared back at him, this time knowing it was the end. These were her last few seconds, and she needed to choose her words wisely. Mark's body began to shake, waiting for some sort of response from Lexie.

Suddenly, the corners of Lexie's mouth twitched up into what perhaps was the most beautiful smile that Mark had ever seen. "Meant to be," Lexie managed to say, using the last of her energy to smile. Then, almost instantly, the light in her eyes went out, and she was gone.

Refusing to believe that she was actually gone, Mark reached over and touched her eyelids. Her smooth skin brushing underneath his fingers was enough for him to completely lose it. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he told her, reaching over and brushing his hands through her hair. The sobs were inevitable now. They encompassed him, shook him, and frightened him. All he could think about was how the one- the one was slipping away in front of him. He brought her fingers up to his lips, pressing a kiss to each finger in the most delicate and passionate way that he could. He kept repeating it. I love you. She needed to know. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the movement of the bushes behind him.

Mark stubbornly clung on to her hand, his eyes wide at what he saw. The paramedics. "She could still be saved," he whispered, letting go of her hand and standing up. In a matter of seconds, the EMTs rushed over there, all gathering around the side of the material. There were a lot of them, and, between them and some large, heavy machine, they managed to lift the wing. The sight of Lexie was not a pretty one. Her abdomen was completely crushed, there was blood everywhere, and her legs where definitely broken. Quickly, they rushed underneath and grabbed her body, pulling it out as gently as they could. They set it on the gurney. Instantly, they began CPR. Mark rushed to her side, his hand instantly finding hers. "Dr. Sloan, there's a helicopter coming for the rest of you, wait here, we've given them your location. We're rushing Dr. Grey in now, considering she's the most critical. We'll take care of her. The next one is 2 minutes out." Shaking his head, Mark instantly said no. "I'm not leaving her," he stated, watching all the blood drip off of her scrubs. "Just let us do our job. We can save her." Though in the moment, that small notion seemed crazy alone. Little Grey was gone, but he was a desperate man. Finally, after some intense arguing, Mark let Little Grey go and they wheeled her into an open area where a helicopter was waiting to take her back to Seattle Grace. Mark caught a glimpse of her, though she still looked as lifeless as she had moments before. The sight of her alone was enough for the sobs to encompass him once more.

However, just as they were about to shut the doors, her chest rose slightly, and her eyes shot open. She gasped for breath. The sight of Lexie's body in pain was excruciatingly painful for Mark to watch. She was twitching, trying to move, screaming. Her body wasn't used to the pressure not being there, and they only had minutes, maybe hours if they were lucky, before she'd bleed out. Mark stood there, unable to believe that she was still alive. They closed the doors and were off in a matter of seconds. He watched up as they went, completely stunned.

It was in that moment that Mark suddenly began to realize the sharp pain in his chest. He felt as if his ribs were collapsing around him, the burning making it hard to breathe. He was suddenly flat on his back, dizzily looking up at the sky. "Lexie," he managed to breathe out, before the sky above him went black, and he slipped into a state of unconsciousness.


End file.
